20. [Ta’ha, Mecca 45]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا...   

20: 53.  "He Who has made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels);

C2576. Sabil means not only a road, but would include water-roads or channels, and in modern conditions, airways- in fact all means of communication.

وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء ...

and has sent down water from the sky."

C2577. This seems to be outside the speech of Moses, and connects itself with the following verses 54-56, as part of the Word of Allah, expanding the speech of Moses and explaining the working of Allah's Providencein nature.

... فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّن نَّبَاتٍ شَتَّى ﴿٥٣﴾

With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.

C2578. Azwaj. - we might translate here (as in 15:88) by "classes" instead of "pairs"; but as sex in plants seems to be referred to elsewhere (see 13:3, and n. 1804), 1 translate "pairs".

كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ...   

20: 54.  Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle:

...إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي النُّهَى ﴿٥٤﴾

verily, in this are Signs for men endued with understanding.

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ...   

20: 55.  From the (earth) did We create you, and into it shall We return you,

...وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَى ﴿٥٥﴾

and from it shall We bring you out once again.

C2579. The verse ought really to go into the last Section.


Other Versions:


20:53

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssama-i maan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatin shatta

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning

Muhammad Asad

 

HE IT IS who has made the earth a cradle for you, and has traced out for you ways [of livelihood] thereon, 35 and [who] sends down waters from the sky: and by this means We bring forth various kinds 36 of plants.

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M. M. Pickthall

 

Who hath appointed the earth as a bed and hath threaded roads for you therein and hath sent down water from the sky and thereby We have brought forth divers kinds of vegetation,

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Shakir

 

Who made the earth for you an expanse and made for you therein paths and sent down water from the cloud; then thereby We have brought forth many species of various herbs.

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Yusuf Ali

 

"He Who has, made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

"He is it Who made the earth a liveable place* suitable for your livelihood and furnished it with paths, roads and channels, and He sent from the floor of the vault of heaven water, the means of producing pairs of diverse plants.

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

The One who made for you the Earth habitable and He made ways for you in it, and He brought down water from the sky, so We brought out with it pairs of vegetation of all types.




(20:54)

Kuloo wairAAaw anAAamakum inna fee thalika laayatin li-olee alnnuha

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning

Muhammad Asad

 

Eat, [then, of this produce of the soil,] and pasture your cattle [thereon]. In all this, behold, there are messages indeed for those who are endowed with reason

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M. M. Pickthall

 

(Saying): Eat ye and feed your cattle. Lo! herein verily are portents for men of thought.

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Shakir

 

Eat and pasture your cattle; most surely there are signs in this for those endowed with understanding.

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Yusuf Ali

 

Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle: verily, in this are Signs for men endued with understanding.

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

To eat therefrom and put cattle to pasture. Indeed, these are tokens representing convincing divine evidence, tokens symbolic of Allah's Omnipotence and Authority, giving insight to those who grasp with the mind.

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

Eat and raise your livestock, in that are signs for those of thought.




(20:55)

Minha khalaqnakum wafeeha nuAAeedukum waminha nukhrijukum taratan okhra

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning

Muhammad Asad

 

out of this [earth] have We created you, and into it shall We return you, and out of it shall We bring you forth once again. 37


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M. M. Pickthall

 

Thereof We created you, and thereunto We return you, and thence We bring you forth a second time.

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Shakir

 

From it We created you and into it We shall send you back and from it will We raise you a second time.

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Yusuf Ali

 

From the (earth) did We create you, and into it shall We return you, and from it shall We bring you out once again.

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

From the earth We created you and back to it We will bring you -at death-, and out of it will We bring you again -in Day of Judgement-.

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

From it We created you and in it We return you, and from it We bring you out another time.



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43 Zukhruf(Gold)

Mecca 63 [89 verses]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

43:10. (Yea, the same that)

C4612. See last note.

has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);

C4613. Cf. 20:53 and n. 2576.

Mihad, a carpet or bed spread out, implies not only freedom of movement but rest also.

The 'roads and channels' carry out the idea of communications and include land routes, sea routes, and airways.

Asad’s Version:


(43:10) He it is who has made the earth a cradle for you, and has provided for you ways [of livelihood] thereon, 8 so that you might follow the right path.


[[Asad note - 8 Cf. 20:53.]]


Yuksel’s Version:

43:10 He is the One who made the earth a habitat for you, and He made pathways in it that you may be guided.